Amusement apparatus.



HERBERT N. RIDGWAY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Application led July 29, 1907.

Patented March 31, 1908.

serial No. 385,970. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT N. RIDGwAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has for its obj ect to provide a novel amusement apparatus which is designed to furnish bothexercise and amusement for the persons participating in the Iuse of it, and to furnish amusement to onlookers.

The invention comprises a horizontallyarranged cylinder which has unobstructed open ends and which is disconnected and idle, and which is supported on rolls in such a way that it can freely turn in either direction about its axis.

The cylinder is of a size to admit of persons walking into the end of and through it, and the amusement comes from attempting to walk through the cylinder without losing ones balance, from maintaining the cylinder in motion while in it, and from watching people participating in the use of the cylinder.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a side view of a device embodying my invention Fig. 2 is an end view thereof with a portion shown in section on the line a-a, Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a section on theA line x-x, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line b-t, Fig. l.

The apparatus comprises anv open-ended cylinder 3 which has a smooth interior surface, which is supported on its side on a plui rality4 of separate and independent rolls, and

which is disconnected from any other apparatus and is idle, that is, it is free to be lturned in either direction about its aXis. Said cylinder may be made in any suitable way, but

preferably will be made of wood and will be of a diameter sufficient to admit of persons walking into and through the same.

As stated above, the cylinder has a smooth interior surface and the open ends of the cylinder are unobstructed, that is, said open ends are of a diameter equal to the interior diameter of the cylinder.`

The cylinder herein illustrated has a lurality of bands 4 surrounding the same, w ich bands constitute tracks, there being two such bands in the resent embodiment. These tracks rest free y on supporting rolls 5, and I lrising from the floor 7. `I have shown the rolls 5 as being flanged, the flanges on one y pair of rolls facing oppositely to those on the other air whereby the flanges in cooperation with t y e tracks serve to prevent longitudinal movement of the cylinder.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention each roll 5 has rigid therewith two trunnions 21, and two bearing members 6 are provided for each roll, one bearing member for each trunnion. Said bearing members are provided with recesses to receive the trunnions, and any end thrust on the rolls is taken up by the engagement of the ends ofv the trunnions with the bottom of the recesses. The trunnions may also be journaled in roller or ball bearings in said recesses, if desired.

The cylinder is disconnected from any other apparatus and is entirely free to rotate in either direction as will be obvious.

In using the apparatus for amusement a person enters the end of the. cylinder and attempts to walk through said cylinder without losing his balance. This can readily be done if he walks on the low point' 40 of the cylinder throughout its length, and if other persons do not cause the cylinder to rotate about its axis, but if the cylinder is set in motion either by the person making the trip through it stepping to one side or the other of the low point, or other persons, it will be diflicult for said person to maintain his balance unless he is somewhat agile, and his efforts to maintain his balance will cause amusement both to himself and to other persons.

Where several persons are in the cylinder at the same time the attempts of the different individuals to maintain their balance afford much amusement not only to the persons in the cylinder but to the spectators.

If a person faces the side of the cylinder and attempts to walk up the side thereof the cylinder will be rotated. The speed of rotation depends on the efforts of the person within the cylinder to keep it rotating, and the device may thus be useful in affording a person or persons exercise, as will be obvious.

The cylinder may be made of any suitable material and where it is made of wood or Wooden staves, the tracks 4 serve not Aonly as tracks for revolubly supporting said cylinder, but also as hoops or bands for hold- .embodiment of the invention the tracks 4 are bolted or riveted to each stave of the cylinder, as seen in Fig. 4, the heads 49 of the bolts 50 being countersunk so as to stand flush with the inner surface of the cylinder. I may if desired secure to each end of the cylinder the protecting band or 'ring l() which is U-shape in cross section and which embraces the cylinder end. this protecting strip as bolted or riveted to each of the staves, as at 11, and it is arranged Hush with the inner surface of the cylinder. To prevent jarand vibration and to make the motion of the cylinder easy, l have shown the bearings 6 as mounted on yielding or cushion supports 13 which may conveniently be made of rubber or any other yielding material.

The cylinder may be placed above the floor 7, as shown in the drawings, or in any other suitable location. y

The device is not in any sense a treadmill for the purpose of generating power because the cylinder is an idle cylinder, is at all times freely rotatable in either direction, and is also disconnected from any otherapparatus.

'I have not attempted to illustrate herein all embodiments of my invention but have shown merely the preferred embodiment thereof.

l have shown Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :w

1. An amusement apparatus comprising a horizontally-arranged disconnected and idle cylinder having each end entirely unobstructed and completely open and adapted for people to enter it through said open ends and stand upright therein, and rolls on'which said cylinder is revolubly supported to' freely turn in either direction by the weight of a person or persons within said cylinder at one side of the low point thereof.

2. An amusement apparatus comprising a horizontally-arranged, disconnected, idle, open-ended cylinder adapted for people to enter it at either end and stand upright therein, and a plurality of separate idlerrolls on which the cylinder is revolubly supported to freely turn in either direction, said cylinder having a protecting strip 10 embracing each end thereof, said protecting strip being flush with the inner surface of the cylinder.

ln testimony whereof, l have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT N RIDGWAY.

/Vtnesses Louis C. SMITH, CHAs. L. RlDGwAY. 

